The Hindu : National : 'Tainted' Ministers: BJP to step up pressure

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004

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National

'Tainted' Ministers: BJP to step up pressure

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, JUNE 29. The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to keep the heat on the Government on the twin issues of "tainted" Ministers and the effort to get some Governors to resign.

The parliamentary strategy of the party and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance was discussed today at a meeting called by the BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu. However, since there was only one representative of one of the allies present, Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), the NDA leaders will meet again, tentatively on July 4 to clinch their strategy and take a final decision.

There were hints from some of the leaders who attended the meeting that the BJP could consider walking out of Parliament when the Railway Minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, presents the budget. The former Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said: "No effort has been made by the Government to end the stalemate over the `tainted' Ministers issue. We have to take our stand (that those Ministers who have been chargesheeted should resign or be dropped) to its logical conclusion." Asked whether the BJP could boycott the Railway Budget since Mr. Yadav is one of the Ministers targeted by the BJP, Ms. Swaraj indicated that this was likely. The former Cabinet Minister, Yashwant Sinha, told reporters that the "tainted" Ministers issue was discussed today. However, he added that no decision had been taken on what strategy the BJP and the NDA would adopt.

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